Projects
My collaborators and I have had many productive, fun, and interesting projects over the years. We still have some of them up and running, and are always looking for collaborators. Have a look at what we are doing, what we have done, and what we are eager to do, and get in touch if any of it tickles your fancy!
Present Projects
Neuroplastic and Anti-depressant Effects of Ketamine Combined with Transcranial Magnetic Brain Stimulation
Started in 2026 , lead by Andre Nilsen , in collaboration with Gernot Ernst
TBW
Summary
Mood disorders affect up to fifteen percent of the population, any given year. Today’s treatment options are plagued with low response and high relapse rates, and can be time and resource intensive. Further, up to one third of patients suffering from major depression do not respond to standard treatments. New treatment options that alter the brains level of neuroplasticity (its ability to adapt to change and reconfigure itself) show promising results, but either show transient effects or require multiple and/or maintenance treatments. Here we wish to combine two methods that induce neuroplasticity, intravenous sub-anesthetic ketamine infusion and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in a one day protocol for treatment of depression. The planned clinical RCT will involve one treatment of ketamine, followed by two sessions of ‘theta-burst stimulation’ (TBS; an approved therapeutic TMS protocol), controlled by an active placebo group (sub-anesthetic midazolam infusion) and sham-TMS. The hypothesis is that one method (TMS) can strengthen the effect of the other (ketamine) such that the anti-depressant effect is stronger and/or lasts longer. A positive result may reduce the need for multiple treatments or increase the time interval between treatments.
PaiNeuro: Towards objective PAIn measurement using NEUROphysiological signals
Started in 2025 , lead by Sebastian Halder , in collaboration with Gernot Ernst, Kaja Buen
Excerpt to come
Summary
TBD
Assessing the presence of covert consciousness in unresponsive dying patients. A translational research project.
Started in 2024 , lead by Bjørn E Juel , in collaboration with Gernot Ernst, Silje Aukrust, Anne Marthe Peveri, Sebastian Halder and more
Excerpt to come
Summary
TBD
How can we distinguish between processes for memory and consciousness?
Started in 2020 , lead by Jørgen Sugar , in collaboration with Imad Bajwa
Excerpt to come
Summary
TBD
Objective measures of consciousness
Started in 2018 , lead by Johan F. Storm , in collaboration with Andre Nilsen and many more
Excerpt to come
Summary
Past Projects
The IIT Wiki
Started in 2022 , lead by the three amigos , in collaboration with Matteo Grasso, Jeremiah Hendren, Giulio Tononi
Developing accessible teaching material for Integrated Information Theory (IIT), one of the most developed scientific theories of consciousness.
Summary
This project focused on making Integrated Information Theory accessible to students and researchers from diverse backgrounds.
Meaning, perceiving, and matching
Started in 2021 , lead by Giulio Tononi , in collaboration with Will Mayner
Excerpt to come
Summary
TBD
Understanding agency in the IIT framework
Started in 2018 , lead by Larissa Albantakis , in collaboration with Giulio Tononi, Renzo Comolatti
Excerpt to come
Summary
TBD
Potential Projects
Meaning and information
Planned for the future , lead by Bjørn E Juel , in collaboration with you?
I want to understand what makes meaning different from information.
Summary
Theoretical stuff:
- characterizing meaning as information realized
What do stakeholders really think about the use of medical technology in palliative care?
Planned for the future , lead by Laila Hov , in collaboration with Reidun Førde, Oddgeir Synnes, Simen Steindal
We want to understand what stakeholders think about the use of medical technology in unresponsive dying patients.